


A Little Mix-Up

by kuonji



Category: Free!
Genre: Bisexual Character, Happy Ending, M/M, OT4, Polyamory, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 02:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17092298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuonji/pseuds/kuonji
Summary: What do you do when your fate (and your love life) is in the hands of temperamental, time-traveling eleven-year-olds?He was still young. He had a good job. He'd been told he was quite attractive. He would go out there, and he would find his own prince or princess, and he would--There was a quiet pop and someone appeared out of thin air beside him.Makoto shrieked, and fried rice went flying in a perfect gravitational arc over his head. "Who are you? What happened? What are you?" He blinked several times. "Haru...? Is that you?"





	A Little Mix-Up

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by [this piece of art](https://twitter.com/hemu_hr/status/1068822782803234816?s=21), by Hemu

Makoto dragged himself up the stairs to his apartment, ready for a long nap. He'd showered at the station after his twelve-hour shift, but he was still hungry. Unfortunately, he'd promised his boyfriend he'd eat something other than fast food or convenience store food outside of working hours, which meant he'd have to wait for dinner. He wasn't about to cook for himself in this state.

He heard young, high-pitched voices shouting as he approached his door, and he smiled commiseratively. The Shimamuras next door had three children, all of whom were loud and excessively energetic. Their parents often apologized to him when they met in the halls. He didn't mind, except for when he had the night shift. The children reminded him of his own childhood, before Ran and Ren had grown up into such mature, peaceable adults.

 _"Who else's fault could it be?"_ came a muffled accusation.

Makoto faltered when he realized that the noise was not coming from the apartment next door but from his own.

_"I dared you to touch the other machine, not this one, stupid! And now we're lost, who knows where."_

Quickly, he tried the door. It was still locked. He opened it and rushed inside. No matter who it was, it sounded like these kids needed help.

Two boys, leaning aggressively into each other's faces, looked up at him.

One of the boys had dark hair with long, parted bangs. He had huge, slightly slanted dark blue eyes that were currently set in a nonplussed glare. His pointed chin accented the curve of a small pout. The other boy had light red hair, his bangs lighter and wispier than the other's. His red eyes were wide in surprise and his gaping mouth showed the beginnings of a pointed canine.

Both boys were stark naked.

"Oh my gosh!" Makoto was the one yelling this time. He slammed the door shut behind him. Then he yanked off his wide-collared, cable-knit sweater and popped it over the tiny version of Rin -- he had to freak out about that a little later -- before pulling his T-shirt off and expertly forcing Haru into it in spite of the boy's raised arms in defense. He'd had practice when they'd been kids, after all.

"Oof!" Rin struggled into the overlong sleeves, tripped, and fell on his bottom. He sat up and lifted the trailing end of a sleeve in the air in a wave. "Uh, thanks. Sorry for the intrusion...? I'm Rin."

Haru sat down slowly and pulled his knees up under the bottom hem. "He's Makoto, stupid. He knows who we are."

Even though Makoto had recognized his boyhood friends immediately, this confirmation was enough to take all the strength out of his legs as well. He sat heavily on the hardwood floor. "What--"

Pounding footsteps outside preceded the door slamming open. "Makoto! Are you okay?"

Makoto's boyfriend, still in his work uniform, stared in with anxious eyes. He looked ready for action -- whether a rescue or a fight.

"Um." Makoto stared between the boys and the police officer. "Rin, meet, uh, yourself. And Haru."

"This is interesting," Sousuke said dryly, leaning to look in the doorway behind his partner.

***

"What made you decide that goading Haru was a good idea?" Rin demanded, arms crossed.

"I don't know. I just got caught up in the moment," his younger self answered sheepishly. Side by side on the couch, they made quite a sight.

Rin sighed and put his head in his hand. "I wish I didn't believe you. I used to be so emotional as a kid."

"Used to be, huh?" Sousuke dead-panned. He slouched back on the couch, clearly amused. Although he was ostensibly here for moral support and pending further official investigations, Makoto thought he was enjoying himself.

Rin threw his lounging partner a fierce glare. Makoto, leaning against the kitchen counter waiting for the kettle to boil, couldn't help smiling behind one hand. Even in the strangest of circumstances, Rin always managed to put him at ease. Even as a boy, he'd had the knack for inviting participation while also being confidently in charge. Makoto put on a stern face, though, when he addressed Haru. "But you shouldn't have done it, Haru. You know better."

"Yeah!" the younger Rin was quick to say. "This isn't all my fault. Take responsibility!"

Haru hadn't looked up from his sullen glare at the floor since they'd all sat down around the coffee table. He didn't speak now.

The kettle boiled, jetting steam into the tense silence. Makoto blew out an exasperated breath and turned the stove off. "Haru-chan--"

"Don't call me that." Haru speared him with a glare.

He'd grown up with Haru, spent the majority of his waking hours with him for all of his childhood and young adulthood. He knew this boy intimately, even if he hadn't seen that particular expression in a long time.

Haru was hurt.

Makoto went to him and knelt in front of the sofa he'd commandeered for himself. "Haru. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reprimanded you like that." The boy turned his head away. "Can you tell me what happened, though? We should try and get you back, right?"

"Where am I?"

"This is still Iwatobi. It's not that far from where we grew up."

"No. Where am _I_?"

"What?" Makoto looked around at the other faces.

The younger Rin, now clad in one of Rin's T-shirts, frowned. "Yeah, where is he? And why are _you_ here?" He gestured with his chin at Sousuke.

"Oh," Makoto said, understanding. "Haru's--"

"He's at his own house. Where else would he be?" Sousuke cut in. "And why shouldn't I be here?"

"Well, you two are together, so of course you're living together." Rin pointed at Rin and Makoto, who gaped and stuttered nonsense words in reply. Makoto couldn't remember if he had even known that boys could be 'together' at that age, and he was pretty sure he hadn't been thinking about being with anyone at all himself except in a vague sort of 'when-I-grow-up' way. Rin, meanwhile, had turned red at his own precociousness. Ignoring them both, his younger self pointed at Haru next. "He's off doing his thing, I guess." He turned back to Sousuke. "But why are you around? Are we still friends?"

Sousuke looked taken aback. "What do you mean, are we still friends? We've been best friends since grade school."

Rin huffed, crossing his arms in a very familiar pose. "You're the one who was saying you don't need friends, blah blah blah."

"I never said that."

"You said you were better off on your own, that having companions just dragged you down."

"Wait a minute. Are you talking about that stupid relay that we lost?"

"Don't you dare talk like that!"

Sousuke scowled. "I'm not going to be chastised by an impetuous little brat."

"I told you what the relay meant to me, and you abandoned me!"

" _I_ abandoned _you_?" Sousuke growled.

"Hey, whoa! We worked all that out ages ago, I thought." Rin put a hand on his partner's shoulder soothingly.

Sousuke turned his glare on Rin... and gradually he softened into a smile. He barked a laugh. "Yeah, we did." He tossed a glare at the younger Rin. "I just forgot what a little shit you used to be."

"Hey!" the red-haired boy protested.

"What does the relay mean to you?" Haru's quiet voice cut through the noise.

The younger Rin's indignant expression collapsed into panic. "Ah! Uh, it's not important. I mean..."

"My dad died in the storm a couple years back. He raced in the relay at the SC when he was you guys' age. His dream was to swim on the world stage, and my dream was to follow that through."

The younger Rin stared at his older counterpart. He looked like he was about to cry. "That's-- Don't--" He glanced at Haru, who was staring at him with a blank expression, then bit his lip and ducked his head.

If Makoto didn't think it might only make him feel worse, he'd wrap the boy in a hug. He'd nearly forgotten this sweet, uninhibited Rin that he'd only known for less than a year. After their years together, he saw glimpses of that naked sensitivity and passion now, but it was different coming from a kid.

Rin put one arm around the boy's shoulder, carefully treading the line between a hug and a companionable gesture. "It's okay, kid. They'll understand. They're going to be the best team -- the best _friends_ \-- ever for you, and don't you forget it. And look." He turned Rin toward the back wall, where a medal case displayed Rin's past accomplishments in the pool. "Those will be yours someday, so don't give up, okay? Things will get hard, but just work through it. Trust your friends and yourself. You'll be fine."

Rin stared in awe at his older self's medals and trophies. Then he turned away, obviously embarrassed but pleased. "Th-Thanks."

"I'll swim the relay with you," Haru suddenly said.

Rin wiped his eyes quickly and looked up. "Huh?" He brightened all of a sudden in the mercurial way of children. "You will? Yes! Great!" He jumped off the couch and punched his fists in the air. Then he paused and frowned suspiciously. "But not because you feel sorry for me, right?"

"No. It's important to you. And I don't mind. It's just swimming."

"It's _not_ just swimming," Rin proclaimed. He grinned. "Nanase, swim with me, and I'll show you a sight you've never seen before."

Sometimes Makoto mused that time must have enhanced and beautified that moment under the cherry tree. That, or his childish emotions had been more susceptible to Rin's sheer power of will. It couldn't possibly have been as magical as he remembered it.

Seeing it from the outside this time, however, he thought he hadn't exaggerated one bit.

Haru stared, open-mouthed. Makoto could almost see his thoughts jumping and swirling behind his glittering blue eyes, could almost sense the boy's heart cracking open to admit friendship and ideas and goals outside of his daily routine. This here was the moment that would take Haru to new heights, that would eventually take him across the oceans and into worldwide, if ephemeral, fame -- and this time, Makoto realized with a jolt, his younger self wasn't even here to share the memory.

Always attuned to his moods, Rin caught his eye and smiled. He shrugged and shook his head slightly, as if in apology.

Haru, remembering himself, turned his face away. There was a flush of excitement to his cheeks that gave him away, however. The younger Rin laughed, throwing his head back so that his fine strands of hair shook and the beginnings of his adult teeth showed -- and in the next instant, he disappeared with a quiet _pop_.

Makoto gasped. "Rin?"

There was another _pop_ next to him, and Haru disappeared as well, leaving Makoto's shirt to fall, empty, onto the seat of the sofa.

"Whoa!" Rin and Sousuke, perhaps with faster reflexes, were both on their feet. Rin stared around the room as if that might divulge some answers. He poked his shirt, which lay in a heap on the couch beside him. "Huh. That was... weird."

Sousuke snorted. Then they all began to laugh, somewhat hysterically.

"St-Stop," Rin complained through his own chuckles. "What are we going to put in the report?"

"Just two children playing make-believe?" Makoto suggested.

Rin groaned. "Do you think that will work? Shimamura-san seemed pretty sure she was hearing two kids in distress."

"It will if we talk to her, I think. Though we'll also have to explain where the children went..."

"We never even got to drink the tea," Sousuke complained mock-seriously -- which only set them off into giggles once again.

Finally, Makoto fetched the tea for real, and they all sat to take a calming cupful each.

"Do you think they got back all right?"

"Well, I'm still here," Rin said, patting himself to illustrate. "I guess we can give Haru a call."

"No, let's not bother him."

Sousuke snorted. "Temperamental artist."

Rin hit him good-naturedly. "Don't be an uncultured pig," he scolded even as he grinned ruefully. Neither of them appreciated Haru's aloof lifestyle the way Makoto thought he did, and Rin was a little sore at having been 'abandoned' when Haru had quit shortly after their first Olympics together.

Makoto was glad his friend had found happiness in his own way. He wasn't one to criticize.

Slapping the tops of his thighs decisively, Sousuke said, "I'll write the report. You two lovebirds get some sleep while I head home. We got the call just as we were about to sign off, anyway."

Makoto sat straighter and half-reached out. "Sousuke, wait. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Sousuke glanced between him and Rin. "Sure," he agreed, relaxing back into his seat.

Rin beamed at Makoto. He never pushed, but he was always transparently gleeful at any progress toward what he described as his personal heaven. "I'll cook!" he announced. "You guys get _comfortable_." He waggled his eyebrows comically before bounding off to the kitchen area. He shot them quick, hopeful glances over the counter while he pulled out ingredients and cookware.

Despite being the one to invite Sousuke to stay, Makoto found himself sitting still and blushing like a novice. He was still feeling out how this might work. He and Sousuke had both agreed to possibly expanding their relationship, but Sousuke was still rather attached to his single lifestyle, and Makoto was afraid of scaring him away. Plus, he was nervous about how he would handle being in such an unconventional relationship. Coming out as bisexual had already brought him much anxiety. Now, this? He wished he had Rin's and Sousuke's confidence in that regard.

"Hey." Sousuke caressed his face.

Makoto leaned into the man's touch. Certainly, the attraction was there. Sousuke was very fine-looking, and he was fantastic in bed.

"Did I tell you?" Sousuke whispered into his ear, his breath tickling Makoto and causing some thoughts that would _not_ be appropriate for the age of the last person who had sat here.

"What?" he asked. Daringly, he ran one hand down the inside of Sousuke's very shapely thigh.

Clearing his throat, Sousuke said, louder, "I put in the request for a new partner today."

"Oh!" That was as good as saying that Sousuke was going all in on this. "Oh, that's..." A smile spread uncontrollably over Makoto's face, but he couldn't think what to say.

"You rat! Why didn't you tell me?" Rin cried, slamming a pot down. "Now Seijurou's going to think I'm just impossible to work with."

"You _are_ impossible to work with." Sousuke chuckled while Rin mock-grumbled some more.

"Thank you, Sousuke." Makoto kissed him deeply, in gratitude and joy. He'd never been happier. This was--

***

Makoto shook himself, confused. Then he went rigid with embarrassment and shame as he realized that he'd been fantasizing about something pornographic.

The smell of something burning made him cry out in consternation, and he leaped at the stove and turned it off. He stared sadly down at what would have been fried rice and was now a half-scorched mix of mostly-edibles. Sighing, he scraped it all into a bowl anyway, resigned to the results of his own inattention.

He took the bowl to the couch in front of the TV and turned past several talk shows to a nature program. He smiled at the shots of a cavorting baby tiger. His dinner crunched in his mouth. The smile fell. He thought about calling for takeout, but he'd promised his mom to eat more at home when he was on the day shift. She even brought him containers of food on the weekends, as if he were still in college.

He was lonely. He admitted that to himself.

Specifically, he was lonely romantically. He had plenty of friends: his fellow coaches, parents of his students, old schoolmates, even some of Rin's and Haru's swimming buddies whom he'd hit it off with. No one gave him that special connection, though. None of the people he'd dated had been able to give them both that mutual sense of comfort and happiness that Makoto craved.

Maybe his parents were right. Maybe he was just too picky. Maybe watching Haru and Rin together had given him a false ideal. His two childhood friends just fit together so perfectly. They'd moved effortlessly from childhood friends to rivals and teammates to a firey couple to settled lovebirds. They'd kept in touch when Rin had moved to Australia and supported each other when Haru had balked at going to college away from home. They'd gathered their own 'best' teams in high school even while remaining first to each other, eventually standing on an Olympics starting line side by side. They always seemed to share something that no one else could break in on, not even Makoto.

Makoto wanted a relationship like that, even though he knew logically that relationships took time and work to build. His own parents had dated for six years with one break-up before they'd gotten married. He couldn't conjure up a childhood friend who would fall in love with him over their nonexistent lifetime of experiences together. That just wasn't possible. He knew that.

He was just lonely and bored. And hungry.

Low blood sugar. That's what it was.

Taking a deep breath, Makoto shoveled more of the fried rice into his mouth. The unburnt part was actually surprisingly tasty. He was a better cook than he gave himself credit for sometimes.

He was still young. He had a good job. He'd been told he was quite attractive. He would go out there, and he would find his own prince or princess, and he would--

There was a quiet _pop_ and someone appeared out of thin air beside him.

Makoto shrieked, and fried rice went flying in a perfect gravitational arc over his head. "Who are you? What happened? What are you?" He blinked several times. "Haru...? Is that you? Why are you naked? Oh my gosh!"

Quickly, he dropped his chopsticks and his now mostly empty bowl on the couch and yanked off his sweater. With a sense of nostalgia, he pulled it over the head of the boy in front of him. It'd been years since he'd had to flash-dress Haru, though this time, thankfully, they weren't in public.

Haru shook his head like a dog getting out of the water. He held out his arms and frowned at the sweater sleeves hanging off them.

"Here." Makoto took Haru's closer arm and rolled up the sleeve until his hand emerged. He did the other one next. Then, having taken care of the immediate problem, Makoto found himself at a loss.

Haru peered up at him through his bangs. Makoto had to clamp his mouth shut on telling the boy how cute he was. Haru had grown into his huge sea-colored eyes a long time ago, becoming a gorgeous, well-proportioned man. Makoto had almost forgotten how adorable he'd been as a kid. His fingers itched to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Hi," he said, trying to sound both open and soothing, in case Haru was feeling nervous about having appeared out of nowhere. (Makoto decided he should freak out on his own account later.)

"Hi."

Makoto had to prevent a delighted laugh from escaping. The child's version of Haru's deep voice was just as monotone and deliberate as in his memory.

The boy frowned and looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"Everyone?"

"Rin and Yamazaki."

"Yamazaki? You mean Sousuke? I don't know. At home, I guess. It's pretty late. Do you know him?" He tried to remember when Haru had met Sousuke for the first time. Haru looked like he was maybe in sixth grade, so they'd had at least one race together. Makoto had always thought Haru hadn't remembered Sousuke until later, though.

"This isn't the same apartment." Haru kneeled up on the couch and looked around. Makoto was momentarily embarrassed about how dingy and unorganized the place must seem. He remembered how particular and fastidious Haru had been as a child. "Does Rin still live with you?"

"What? Why would Rin live with me?"

"Isn't he your boyfriend?"

Makoto sputtered and tried to laugh. "My boyfriend?" he squeaked in a higher octave than he usually used. "No, of course not. Why would you even think that? Rin is _your_ \-- I mean, he will be your boyfriend." Rin and Makoto were very good friends, of course, and yes, Makoto admitted that he'd occasionally entertained some airy what ifs. Rin's passion and flair and maturity had always attracted him, not to mention how he'd filled out after growing up. He'd never considered it seriously, though. Rin and Haru had chosen each other, and that had been so natural that Makoto had never questioned it.

Although...

There had been that one strange night when Rin, drunk, had told him that they'd originally been 'fated' to be boyfriends, and something must have changed. He hadn't said it in a lovelorn sort of way. He'd just sounded kind of confused. And then Haru, not quite as incapacitated but visibly slower than usual, had frowned thoughtfully at Makoto and said, _"I didn't want it to be this way, Makoto. I'm sorry. We tried to fix it when we realized, but by then we'd gotten so involved with each other and..."_ He hadn't finished the sentence and Makoto had been too inebriated himself to probe into that astonishing confession. Eventually, they'd parted that night as usual and never spoken of it again.

Meanwhile, the boy Haru seemed plenty astonished himself. He'd been less expressive as a child, but even so, his eyes widened a ridiculous amount and his mouth actually gaped open. "Me and Rin?" He shook his head. "But then, who's your boyfriend? Not Yamazaki?"

" _What?_ No. We're not together." Makoto felt a blush bloom instantly across his neck. Yes, he'd admired Rin's fantastically muscled friend in his legskins once or twice, but he didn't know him well enough to even consider dating. He'd met him way back in sixth grade, and heard snippets of news about him as he'd remained rivals and fierce competitors and friends with Rin. After they'd both retired from swimming, however, Sousuke had gone on to coach college students in Tokyo. In fact, he was away at some competition now with his newest charges. Makoto rarely met him in person. Until Rin had mentioned it once, Makoto hadn't even been sure whether Sousuke liked men.

Haru nodded. "Good." His shoulders sagged slightly. "But... you're alone?"

Makoto hadn't thought he'd have to defend his lack of a love life to a child. "I'm single for now. But that's okay. I just haven't met the right person yet."

"Something happened. This is wrong. Makoto should never be alone."

"What?" Haru had always been protective of him, growing up, but this was odd. Again, Makoto was reminded of that drunk night of non-sequitur confessions. "I'm not alone, Haru. I have friends."

"You're supposed to have someone special who loves you."

"I will someday. I haven't given up."

Haru looked away, a gesture that he did less now. It brought back memories of Haru as a child, annoyed or embarrassed or apologetic or any number of feelings that overwhelmed him. "I never even knew you liked boys. Sorry."

Makoto smiled indulgently. An urge to tease filled him. It'd been so long since he'd been able to easily get a reaction from Haru. "My special person might not be a boy, you know. I like both."

Haru stared at him, the instant response deeply gratifying and amusing. "Oh. Is that why I never noticed?"

Makoto decided not to tease him further. Young Haru wasn't used to it yet. "Probably not. You're eleven, I think?" Haru nodded. "I wasn't really paying attention to those things back then."

"Okay." Haru looked relieved. He looked around again. "Rin is much tidier than you, isn't he?"

"I guess so. Why?"

"Your house is a mess." Haru, much too observant when he wanted to be, fixed on the bowl with its remnants of fried rice in it. "Is that your dinner? Do you cook for yourself? You're not a good cook, are you? The air smells burnt, and you're always awful in cooking class."

Again, Makoto found himself in the distressing position of being pitied by a grade-schooler. "I'm-- I'm not that bad," he declared a little too loudly. "The part that's not burnt actually tastes great." That was only a slight exaggeration, and Haru would never know.

Haru frowned. "Rin can't cook as well as I can. I'll be your boyfriend, Makoto. That way, you won't forget me, _and_ you'll be taken of."

"I would never forget you, Haru. Why would you say that?"

Haru seemed about to answer, but then, as suddenly as he'd appeared, he disappeared again. Makoto's sweater dropped to the couch in his place.

Makoto stared at it for a long moment. Then he closed his eyes for several seconds. When he opened his eyes again, the sweater was still there, the sleeves rolled up to nearly half-way.

He realized the TV was still on. Mechanically he turned it off, then went to get his vacuum cleaner for the spilled rice.

When that was done, Makoto stood uncertainly over the trash can where he'd dumped the remains of his dinner, now well mixed with dust and whatever else had accumulated on his floor since he'd last vacuumed. He was still hungry but his mind was too full to allow him to think about what to eat, much less cook. He went to his desk and picked up his phone from where it'd been charging. He'd intended to call a takeout place, but he called a different number instead.

Haru picked up on the sixth ring. "Hi."

"Haru." He stopped, his words having left him. Haru, content with silence between them, didn't interrupt it. Makoto heard a news program in the background. "What are you doing?"

"Preparing dinner. Rin has the night shift this week. Do you want to come over?"

_"I'll be your boyfriend."_

"No!" Blushing, Makoto added quickly, "I mean, no, thank you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Haru, something weird happened."

"Oh?"

"I made dinner--"

"That is weird."

"Haru!" Growing up meant Haru had started teasing him back. "Anyway, I made dinner and I was eating it when--"

***

"Makoto?"

Makoto blinked rapidly, then closed and opened his eyes. His boyfriend remained in front of him. "Weren't you...?" He had the strangest impression that he'd just been speaking to Haru on the phone.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I zoned out."

Haru frowned at him for a moment longer. Apparently satisfied, he returned to putting his shoes away. "What were you saying?"

"Oh, right! I made fried rice. Surprise!"

"I thought it smelled good in here."

"I used the recipe you taught me in high school. Remember?"

Haru smiled in that subtle way he had. "I brought home dessert."

"I noticed! Is it okay if I open it first?"

"All right."

Makoto pounced on the take-home box Haru had brought from the restaurant he worked at. "Chocolate cake! Is it yours?" Haru had just been promoted to second chef. This meant, unfortunately, that they ate dinner late, but since Makoto often closed at the aquarium, it all worked out.

"No, it's Ogawa's this time, but it's good. I had some at lunch."

As Makoto opened the refrigerator to put the cake in for later, he thought he heard an odd _pop_ , as if he had just shaken some water out of his ear. "What was that?" He turned around -- and gave a shriek. He slammed the refrigerator door closed as he backed up against it in fright.

There was a boy standing in front of them with pale skin, bright red hair, and a murderous look on his face.

"I knew it!" He pointed at Haru. "You stole my boyfriend!"

Maybe it was the familiar challenging tone in that instantly recognizable, if higher pitched, voice. Belatedly, Makoto realized that the boy was a perfect copy of a much younger Rin. He was also, for some reason, stark naked.

"Oh my gosh!" Makoto pulled off his sweater and plopped it over the boy's head.

"Oof! Not again..." the boy muttered mysteriously. He shook the sleeves down and tugged the turtleneck collar away from his face before laying into Haru again. "I thought I saw you sneaking into the museum again! And what's with the lovey-dovey act around Makoto lately?"

"Museum? Hold on, what are you talking about? Who are you? Where did you come from?" Makoto caught Rin's furiously pointing hand and began rolling the sleeve up. The simple chore soothed him, reminding him of growing up with Ran and Ren.

" _He_ knows," Rin retorted.

When Makoto glanced at Haru to assure himself that of course his boyfriend would be just as confuzzled as he was, he discovered Haru had hunched his shoulders slightly and looked away. "Haru?" he questioned in astonishment.

Haru pouted and didn't look up.

"Well?" Rin demanded, hands on hips.

Grudgingly, Haru said, "I wasn't here the first time. I wanted to fix that. But when I came back--"

"Without telling me," Rin muttered.

"--Makoto wasn't with you anymore. So I thought I should take care of him instead."

"You mean you decided to be selfish and push me aside. Did you even think about what _Makoto_ wanted?"

"Makoto's happy with me," Haru declared, glaring at the young Rin. "Aren't you?" He turned to Makoto for confirmation. His brows puckered slightly in worry.

"Of course I am!" Makoto hurried to assure him. "But what's all this about? Wait a minute." Museum. "Are you talking about the science museum you went to with Rin in sixth grade? You asked me out for the first time a few days after that." That was easy to remember. Makoto had been supremely flustered. He'd barely even thought about dating at the time and hadn't even realized yet that he'd be interested in boys. He'd turned Haru down then, but his friend had tried again every month after until Makoto had finally given in when they were in junior high. He was glad he had, because dating Haru had been and still was the best thing in his life.

"Ah- _ha_!" Rin shouted in apparent vindication of something.

"Makoto's happy," Haru stressed, ignoring everything else. "Anyway, you're happy with Sousuke, so it all turns out all right."

"I'm with Sousuke?" Rin's face contorted in exaggerated disbelief.

"You made up with him after and you've been best friends ever since. He even went to Australia to find you when you were having some trouble there."

"You're lying. Sousuke wouldn't do something dumb like that. The idiot would probably get lost at the airport anyway." Despite his bluster, Rin started to blush. With his hair disheveled and the enormous sweater, one sleeve still hanging too long, he looked the picture of 'adorable'.

"You two are as sappy as a movie couple. It's embarrassing."

"Haru, don't exaggerate." Makoto frowned disapprovingly at him. Haru and Rin's competitiveness and exchanging of barbs was probably the only thing that really bothered him about Haru. His two friends had had a falling out in junior high and although they'd made up again later after Rin had come back from abroad, it'd never been quite the same. It had never occurred to Makoto before that it might have had anything to do with him and Haru getting together. As far as he knew, back in sixth grade, Rin's entire life had revolved around swimming. He'd never mentioned dating girls _or_ boys, much less having any interest in Makoto.

Haru, unrepentant, merely smirked mutinously.

Young Rin, while less explosive than his current self, already had the makings of a temper. Makoto quickly tried to head off the building storm. "Fried rice! Let's have dinner."

Haru hesitated, then nodded.

Rin looked abashed. "Uh, I just ate. But, thanks for the offer." He scowled at Haru. "Don't think I'm going to forget this."

With that ominous threat, Rin abruptly disappeared. There was a soft _pop_ , and then Makoto's sweater fell to the floor, unoccupied.

Makoto stared, open-mouthed. "Haru, what happened?"

Haru opened his mouth and took a breath as if to speak, but then he closed it again. After a long silence, he sighed. "I'll explain--"

***

"Huh?"

"What?" his boyfriend asked.

"You'll explain what?"

"I didn't say anything."

Makoto scrubbed his face briskly. "You're right, you didn't. I must be more tired than I thought." He dropped his luggage and let himself fall onto the closer bed.

Sousuke laughed and came to lay down on top of him, holding part of his weight on his arms but letting Makoto feel enough of him to be comforting. "I'm glad you're here."

"Jet lag and all?"

"Jet lag and all." He kissed Makoto in a 'hello' kind of way.

Makoto, wanting more, deepened the kiss. He groaned into it, knowing how the sound drove Sousuke wild. "When's dinner?" he asked when they parted for the first time.

"Too soon for more than this," Sousuke answered him during the next break.

This time, Makoto's groan expressed an entirely different emotion. "We'd better stop then."

"Mm."

It was several minutes before they could stand to separate themselves. Makoto couldn't get enough after their week apart, and as far he could tell, Sousuke was _always_ ready. Sousuke had been first to proposition them as teenagers, and then had asked him out for real in college. Makoto, as timid as he'd been about his own sexuality, didn't think they would have ended up together if the other man hadn't pursued him with such predatory zeal. He was glad Sousuke had. Under his cool exterior, Sousuke had a caring, attentive heart, and he focused it all on Makoto.

Makoto made a distressed noise when he checked his watch. "We really have to go." Even so, he felt a loss when Sousuke pulled away. Luckily, he was then able to admire the view of Sousuke's back as he put on a long-sleeved shirt and tugged it straight.

The other man smirked over his shoulder. "Want to skip dinner?"

Makoto sighed. "Your coach will ream you if you don't show, and I should get to know everyone before I start hammering and yanking on them."

Sousuke grinned, and Makoto knew what he was going to say next. "That sounds so dirty when you say it."

"It sounds dirty when you _hear_ it, idiot." He rolled to his feet decisively and started to say something bracing and motivational--

\--when there was a sort of _pop_ sound, and a small figure appeared in front of him.

People laughed at how gullible Makoto was, which was ironic given how superstitious athletes were in general. Being around groups of boys and men in camp-like settings for most of his life meant that Makoto had heard way more ghost stories and other accounts of the supernatural bent than he'd ever wanted to. He maintained that _anybody_ with that kind of experience would have been startled by a possible wraith or demon invading his room at night.

He shrieked and rolled over Sousuke's bed, instinctively putting it between himself and whatever the thing was.

Sousuke, meanwhile, had grabbed the closest weapon -- a lamp -- and was brandishing it.

"Whoa!"

Makoto stared. The figure had resolved into... a boy. He was maybe ten or eleven years old, with short black hair and familiar downturned teal eyes. "Sousuke, is that... you?" He realized in the next instant that the boy was completely naked. "Oh my gosh!" He pulled off his team jacket and leaped back across the bed to whip the jacket around the boy. Apparently, his instinct to protect had momentarily overpowered his fear. Now that he was close, though, the boy seemed perfectly human and ordinary. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The boy, standing still while Makoto zipped up the jacket, grinned appreciatively at the man who was apparently his older self. "I'm Sousuke. And so are you. Aw yeah, I get _big_."

Makoto couldn't help smiling as well. "You do. You'll have to train hard to get that way, though," he cautioned.

The boy shrugged. "I know that."

"Who the _hell_ are you?" Sousuke demanded, evidently not as charmed by his younger self as Makoto was.

"I'm you," was the matter-of-fact answer. He looked around the hotel room. "Where are we?"

Sousuke cut Makoto off before he could say. "That's not possible. What's going on here?"

"I don't know. There was a time machine thing. Rin was acting all weird around me, so I beat him in a race and made him tell me why."

Makoto wasn't sure what to make of that. That did sound like Rin, after all.

"Wait, I get it. This is a training camp."

"We're at the national trials for the Olympics, brat," Sousuke said dryly. In spite of his wariness, he was apparently not willing to pass up a chance to brag.

"Cool!" The boy looked around excitedly, as if the hotel room must be special somehow to host the future Olympics team for Japan.

Makoto laughed. "You were a lot more talkative as a kid."

Sousuke's eyes narrowed. "He's excited. Or a weird hallucination."

The younger Sousuke put his hands on his hips. "I'm not a hallucination. I told you, there was a time machine." He looked to Makoto with the same intense, narrow-eyed study. "Who are you? Are you swimming, too?"

"Uh. No. I'm on the support team."

"But you have the team jacket and everything." He peered closer at the one he was wearing. "Oh, is this an old one? Is it even yours?"

"He was a swimmer once, too, brat." Sousuke had always been extremely protective of Makoto, especially when Makoto was too 'humble' by Sousuke's standards. "He made it to nationals in high school in backstroke and was scouted by Meijou Chuo University and other schools all over. Now he's one of the best physical therapists on the team."

"Oh. Wow."

It was embarrassing how proud Makoto felt at the awed look in a little boy's face.

"He's also my boyfriend." Makoto gave Sousuke a reproachful look, but Sousuke only smirked as the boy gaped at him. "Yeah, you're going to learn a _lot_ of things in high school, brat." He pointed in his younger self's face. "Use condoms, or else the scare freshman year in college might be more than just a scare."

The boy sputtered, his face going red.

"Sousuke, stop it." Makoto knelt in front of the boy. "Listen to me. You're probably too young to understand now, but when you're older, remember this: You don't ever have to feel ashamed about what you feel, okay? Don't feel pressured into doing things you don't want, and don't feel ashamed of things you do want, okay? Stay safe, like Sousuke said, but as long as you're not hurting yourself or anyone else, doing or _not_ doing anything is fine, okay?"

The boy stared with wide eyes, speechless. A blush rose in his cheeks, still rounded with youth.

Sousuke grunted. "What he said."

The boy glanced at his older self. "When do you guys meet?"

"Oh, no," Sousuke snapped. "You're too young to know things like that. You stick to chasing Rin around for now. And keep him from falling into a slump if you can."

His younger self looked startled. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared down at his hands for several seconds. Without looking up, he asked in a small voice, "Is Rin in love with Nanase?"

Sousuke snorted a laugh. "What are you talking about? He and Nanase were at each other's throats over every little thing when we were kids. They still are."

Makoto winced at the reminder. He'd never quite gotten over the niggling feeling that he was at fault for his friends' falling out. They had both asked Makoto out back in sixth grade, which had been flattering, but also confusing and a bit frightening to Makoto at that age. He'd always been timid and averse to conflicts of any kind, and suddenly having two of his best friends fighting over him had filled him with anxiety. What had made it worse was, Makoto had started to feel like neither of the boys even really wanted him. They just wanted to fight and compete with each other. In fact, they'd found more and more things to fight about and their rivalry had become increasingly bitter and less friendly.

After their relay team had fallen apart and Rin had left for Australia, Makoto had been lonely but relieved in a way. That was when Sousuke had come along. He'd sought out Haru to challenge him to a race. When Haru had turned him down, Makoto had tried to smooth things out between the two, not wanting yet another rival of Haru's to start drama for them all. Somehow or other, Makoto had wound up making friends with the taciturn boy instead.

The boy who would later become that dear friend now looked between them, confusion on his face. "Really? But the way he always talks..."

"Trust me. They can't stand to be in the same room together."

The boy frowned. "That's... actually kind of sad."

There was the sensitive heart that Sousuke often hid. Makoto smiled and touched the boy's arm to get his attention. "It's all right. You and Rin are still friends, and I'm still friends with Haru and Rin." Their relationships had become somewhat distant, but that was still true. "It's not so bad." When the boy looked unconvinced, Makoto decided it was better to get off the topic. "Hey," he said in a brighter tone. "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Makoto. I was in the Iwatobi Swim Club when I was around your age. We might have seen each other at meets from afar. Nice to meet you." It was weird to have to introduce himself to his own boyfriend, but considering the boy's age, it did make sense. He hadn't really gotten to know Sousuke until junior high.

Hesitantly, the boy said, "It's nice to meet you. Um, I'm Sousuke, but you knew that. You swim with Nanase?" was the boy's predictable next question.

"I used to, yes."

The boy looked at him askance. "Are you Tachibana? Or Hazuki?"

Makoto startled at the question. "I'm Tachibana, yes."

Sousuke sagged slightly and scowled at the floor. "So you swim with Rin, too. Or, used to."

Makoto glanced at his boyfriend before telling the boy, "Sousuke, Rin still cares for you a lot. He's just very focused on swimming right now. He wants to make his father proud. You understand, don't you?"

The young Sousuke shrugged. Then he seemed to rally. "Hey, Rin's here, right? I want to meet him."

Sousuke grunted. "Sorry. He's not here. He quit swimming."

" _What?_ Why?"

Makoto gave him a pleading look, and Sousuke sighed. "He just lost interest, I guess."

This statement was obviously a blow to the boy. From what Sousuke had told Makoto about their relationship when he'd been a boy, and from what Makoto remembered of Rin's personality, this wasn't surprising. "You're _lying_ ," he said, his anger held tight in his eyes and his balled fists. "Rin wouldn't just _quit_. What happened?" He rounded on Makoto. "Did you all do something to him?"

"Of course not," Sousuke cut in. "Makoto's the nicest person on the face of the planet. Don't blame him. It was Nanase."

"I knew it!" the boy said.

Sousuke drew up and threw Makoto an apologetic look. He held out his palms in a placating gesture. "Wait. Yeah, it was Nanase, but it was also Rin himself. _Both_ of them quit. It was a big mess. It was both their faults and sort of neither of their faults. Crappy things just happen sometimes."

"But-- But that's such a _waste_."

"Yeah, it is, but what can you do?"

Young Sousuke looked on the verge of tears. "This is all wrong! I don't believe it. I--"

There was another _pop_ , and the boy disappeared. Makoto's jacket fell in a heap on the floor.

After a long silence, Makoto reached over to pick up his jacket. It was still warm. "I guess we'd better go to dinner."

Sousuke looked just as shocked as he felt. "I guess we better."

"Let's go--"

***

Makoto paused, one hand held out. Why had he thought he was about to go somewhere?

Chiyoko burbled and grabbed at his extended fingers, and Makoto reached down to tickle her. "Sorry, Chiyo-chan. I'm not going anywhere. Papa's right here."

There was an empty kind of _pop_ , and abruptly someone was standing beside Makoto.

He gasped and snatched Chiyoko up to his chest. "Who are you? What do you want?" he shouted in a tremulous voice. He wished that he were the sort of parent who would leap into aggressive action at any threat to his family, but he'd had to accept that he would never be that. The best he could do was to protect his baby.

The 'threat', as it turned out, was only a little boy. Had he wandered in? Was he lost?

Makoto relaxed. In a calmer, soothing voice, he asked, "Who..." He trailed off, as he realized he was staring into wide, green eyes that mirrored his own.

"Oh my gosh," the boy whispered. "You're..." He looked down at himself. "Oh!"

"Oh!" Makoto echoed.

The boy was stark naked.

Quickly, Makoto set Chiyoko back in her crib. He pulled off his sweater and handed it to... his younger self.

"Thank you," the boy murmured, scrambling into the oversized clothing. His ears were bright red over the turtleneck collar.

Feeling a little more at ease, Makoto knelt and asked, "May I?" At the boy's nod, he rolled up first one ludicrously long sleeve, then the other. It was almost just like dressing Minoru. Had he really ever been this small? Sitting back on his heels, he smiled. "Are you really me? What are you doing here?"

"Um. There was a time machine... Haru and Rin went to the science museum together a few weeks ago. I would have gone, too, but I had a cold that day, which was too bad because they got in trouble for causing a fuss. After that, they started acting really strange. They-- Did it happen to you, too?"

Makoto remembered that trip. Haru had suddenly asked him out after that, and then Rin had done the same. The other two boys had gotten more and more serious about their rivalry. It'd been bewildering at first, and then frustrating, and then overnight, it seemed, Haru and Rin had made up again. They'd both apologized to Makoto, and life had gone on. It'd probably been some childish dispute that had seemed monumental at the time and had gotten out of hand. It was likely that no one even remembered why exactly the fight had gone on as long as it had.

Looking back, Makoto wondered if Haru and Rin had been acting out because they'd had trouble with finding out they were gay. He himself had had a confusing and anxious time when he'd finally realized he was bisexual, and he'd been in junior high by then, and with Haru and Rin having opened the way already. It must have been rough on two sixth graders who had already been at odds with each other. Luckily, they'd gotten over it quickly. Makoto wished he could have helped them more, but he'd been a child himself then and hadn't understood.

"I remember," he told the boy who had once been himself. "That was a hard time, but you'll get through it. We're all good friends now. You'll see. Don't worry."

His younger self shook his head. "I overheard them talking to each other again yesterday. Yamazaki-kun was there, too. Haru doesn't even like him! I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but I was on the way to Haru's house and his window was open. So I heard about the time machine and I just-- I was mad at all of them, I guess. I felt left out. And then I thought... I don't know. I thought if I did what they had, then I would feel better, and the exhibit's leaving tomorrow, so I had to sneak in, and I know I shouldn't have, but... here I am."

A secret meeting at Haru's house that didn't include him but did include Sousuke? That _was_ strange. Makoto was pretty sure he'd have reacted the same way -- or rather, here was proof that he would have. He knew he was apt to hide his hurt feelings until they exploded, and he'd tried to correct that over the years. At eleven, though, it must have felt like a horrible betrayal. "And do you feel better?"

"I guess so." Little Makoto looked around at what he could see of the small apartment from the living room. His distressed look turned quickly into a thrilled one. He tilted his head and gave Makoto a smile that scrunched up his eyes, the buoyancy of it lifting his shoulders. "This is really amazing, isn't it?"

Makoto chuckled softly in wonder. It _was_ amazing. He never looked this way when he smiled into a mirror. Was this how others saw him? Had growing up dampened or otherwise altered this heart-melting smile? He hoped not. He liked to think that he could bring other people the kind of joy his younger self's expression was giving him now.

"I wonder what the others saw? I hope it was as nice as this."

Makoto was touched by the boy's thoughtfulness -- and then embarrassed at seeming to be overly proud of himself. This was a bit confusing. "If they went to their own futures, then they probably weren't too disappointed."

"Oh?" The boy grinned eagerly, though he was too polite to demand answers.

"Haru's an artist. He does mostly commissions online, but he's illustrated a children's book, too." He considered whether to mention that he had authored the book. On one hand, it felt like bragging. On the other hand, it might be encouraging to his younger self. On the _other_ , other hand, it might feel like too much pressure.

"Just like Haru-chan! He's so talented. I can't wait to see it. What about Rin? Nagisa?"

"Rin went to the Olympics."

"Wow! That's so cool!"

"Then he opened a sports equipment store with his mother. Nagisa is a tour guide, and he also works in the marketing department at the Iwatobi Tourism Center."

"I didn't know we had one."

Makoto laughed. "None of us did. It's very small. Someone from City Hall happened to see a swim club recruitment video we made and wound up recruiting him right out of high school."

"Everyone's so successful. I hope I can measure up to them," little Makoto said dolefully.

"You'll--" Makoto started to assure him, but his younger self waved his arms.

"Don't tell me! I'm afraid of messing it up if I know how I turn out."

Makoto nodded, proud of his little boy self. "That's very wise, Makoto-kun."

'Makoto-kun' giggled. "It's so funny for you to call me that."

"I can't very well call you 'Me-kun'."

"You're right. That is silly, Me-san."

That sent both of them into giggles.

Chiyoko, who had pulled herself to her feet while they'd been talking, began bouncing in place and shouting nonsense words.

Makoto stood and leaned over to touch noses with her over the edge of the crib. "Do you want to join us, Chiyo-chan? Is that it? You want to join Papa and Papa-kun?"

The boy Makoto laughed some more. "Hi, Chiyo-chan!" he said excitedly, coming over. To Makoto, he said, "Is she ours? Your daughter, I mean?"

"Mm-hm." He picked Chiyoko up and dangled her at eye-level to his other self. The baby and the boy regarded each other raptly, mutually enraptured. "Makoto, meet Chiyoko. Chiyo-chan, this is Papa as a boy."

"How do you do?" Makoto said. "She's so little. May I hold her?"

"Sure. Let's sit on the floor first." He had held Ran and Ren at that age and much younger, so he wasn't too worried about handing over his sturdy eight-month-old.

His younger self hugged Chiyoko to him and smelled her, laughing when that made her squeal happily. "She's just like Ran and Ren!" he exclaimed. Chiyoko giggled and patted him vigorously in return, nearly punching him in the eye. "Oops, you're really strong, aren't you?"

"Yes, she is. She's almost walking. We can't even let her sleep in the crib anymore because we're afraid she'll climb out."

"I don't think we were like this, were we?"

"No. Mom says we must feed her too many vitamins."

"Maybe that's it," the other Makoto agreed. He avoided another punch, before turning Chiyoko around in his lap so that she was no longer facing (and targeting) him. She reached out, and Makoto obligingly began playing patty-cake with her.

"What will you do after you get back?" he asked between claps.

"I guess... talk to Haru and the others. Maybe they just didn't tell me before because they didn't want to damage the timestream or something. You know, like in the movies."

"That's a good point. I hope you make up with everyone soon. They're all really good people and really good friends."

"Thanks. I hope so, too." Little Makoto shook his head. "No. I'll _make sure_ we all make up and that we're all great friends just like you all are now. That's something I definitely don't want to accidentally change. And I want to make sure I grow up to be exactly like you!"

Abashed, Makoto felt a blush rising at his neck. "You'll do it. I have confidence." Without thinking, he reached out and patted his younger self's shoulder.

They both froze -- then laughed in relief.

"I'm glad we didn't unravel the timestream," Makoto said, chagrined. "So how do we get you back to where -- or I guess when -- you came from?"

"I don't know. I think--"

There was a _pop_ , and Makoto's daughter toppled to the floor, fortunately only a short distance and onto an abruptly empty sweater. Makoto didn't even have time to cry out before she hit the ground. She began crying instantly. It was probably more from surprise than pain, but Makoto scooped her up and examined her head to toe before trying to soothe her with bouncing and rocking motions. "It's all right, Chiyo-chan. You're okay."

He heard the door unlocking, and a moment later, Minoru came racing in, yelling, "Papa! Papa! I saw a bird, and two dogs, and Dr. Tabata gave me a candy, and I didn't throw up in the car!"

"That's wonderful," Makoto told him, kissing his cheek, which indeed smelled of watermelon candy.

Makoto's son was followed by his wife, who raised her eyebrows at the still sniffling Chiyoko and the sweater on the floor and asked, "How was your day?"

"The strangest thing just happened. You won't believe--"

***

Makoto dragged himself up the stairs to his apartment, ready for a long shower and maybe a nap. He was exhausted after twelve hours straight at work, and he was hungry. Unfortunately, he'd promised his boyfriends he'd eat something other than fast food or convenience store food outside of working hours, which meant he hadn't felt free to grab something quick on the way home. He hoped something was waiting for him at home, since he wasn't about to cook for himself in this state.

He heard shouting as he topped the stairs, and he smiled commiseratively. The Shimamuras next door had three children, all of whom were loud and excessively energetic. The front door burst open even as he approached, and the six- and eight-year-olds charged out, nearly running into him. "Tachibana-sensei!" the younger cried energetically, continuing his trajectory to hug Makoto around the legs.

Makoto was obliged to stop in his tracks. "Hello, Yuki-chan." He ruffled the golden hair on the little boy's head. Listening to the boys' racket, he sometimes wondered if the Hazuki household had been like this when Nagisa was growing up. Or the Mikoshibas, for that matter.

"Oh, goodness. I'm sorry, Tachibana-sensei!" Yukio and Katsumi's mother rushed out, pushing a stroller with two-year-old Umeko. "Yuki-chan, apologize!"

"Sorry," Yukio said, though he didn't let go.

His older brother huffed and pulled him off. "Sorry, Tachibana-sensei. He's such an irresponsible monkey!"

Makoto chuckled at the expression, no doubt learned from his parents.

"I'm not a monkey. I'm a tiger," Yuki retorted, pouting.

Their mother bowed. "So sorry for bothering you."

"No problem at all, Shimamura-san. Have a good day."

As tired as Makoto was, he watched the family leave with a fond smile. After handling curious questions and dirty hands all day, a cute interaction with some kids who were not his responsibility was actually a treat. He turned to open his own door, when another round of shouting arrested him.

 _"Who else's fault could it be?"_ came a muffled accusation.

Makoto groaned and pushed the unlocked door open. He peered around the corner to the kitchen and sighed when, as expected, he saw Rin and Sousuke, still in uniform, standing a safe distance away from the small cat's feeding stand. The cat in question was munching away happily at a bowl of cat food.

"Are you overfeeding Chiyo-chan again?" He clucked his tongue, and Chiyoko looked up at him. She seemed to agonize for a few seconds before finally abandoning her bowl to run to him. "Good girl." He caught her mid-leap and snuggled her to him. "What a good princess you are. You don't want to get fat and develop heart conditions, do you?" He gave the other two men reproachful looks as he said this.

"She was _looking_ at me," Rin defended himself.

"You have no self-control around cats," Sousuke scoffed.

"Oh, and who was the one trying to bribe her with treats the other day? She only loves Makoto. Get over it."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

"She likes you both fine," Makoto said before Rin, bristling at Sousuke's sardonic tone, could say something back. "She just knows how to manipulate you. Stop being so gullible."

Rin put one hand to his forehead. "The day _Makoto_ calls _me_ gullible..."

"Honestly, Rin. How do you catch any bad guys when a cat can outsmart you?" Makoto hid his smile in Chiyoko's fur as Rin sputtered and Sousuke laughed.

A knock came at the door, and then it opened and Haru walked in, smelling faintly of turpentine. He looked around silently, then smiled. "Welcome home, Makoto."

"Thank you, Haru." Makoto kissed him 'hello'.

"Hey!" Rin protested. "First the cat, then Haru? _Hey!_ " he shouted louder, when Sousuke caught Makoto from behind and began sucking long, sensuous kisses up his neck. "All right, that's it." Rin marched forward.

"W-Wait!" Makoto tried to catch his breath, but Sousuke took his mouth like they hadn't seen each other in weeks.

"I've got Chiyo," Haru said, taking the cat.

"Mm-- That's not what I--"

"Haru, what are you doing? Put Chiyo-chan down. We owe Makoto a _real_ welcome." Rin grabbed Haru, yanking him along as he pounced.

***

"Makoto, do you ever miss that other future?"

Makoto blinked against his drowsiness, rubbing his eyes so he could focus properly on Haru. "Which one?"

"Any of them."

"Hm, not really. Why do you ask?"

"Yeah, why bother thinking about it?" Rin waved his hand dismissively. "This is better."

Haru frowned. "But... Chiyoko. And your wife. You don't even know who she was going to be. And you were working at the Olympics in the one Sousuke saw."

Makoto shrugged. "None of you got to experience whatever successes and families you had in those other timelines either."

"Rin's right," Sousuke said. "This is better than swimming into my late thirties, doing who knows what after. All the family I need is right here."

"That's unexpectedly sentimental of you, Sousuke." Rin grinned at his boyhood best friend.

"Shut up."

"But that's what we can expect when you wind up with your first gay crush."

This time Sousuke expressed his 'sentimentalism' by pushing Rin's face away with his palm. He was blushing, though, and it was incredibly cute.

Haru took Makoto's hand. "You were my first crush, too."

"Hey, I thought I was," Rin said, mock-hurt.

"No, you were second," Haru said matter-of-factly.

Rin rolled his eyes. "Can't you be a _little_ romantic sometimes?"

Haru smiled, and Makoto knew Rin was in trouble before Haru leaned into Rin, snuggling ostentatiously. "Do you mean like this?" he asked, his purposely flat and monotone voice at odds with his actions. "What else would you like me to do, honey? Sweetie? My darling?"

"Ugh, ugh, _stop_!"

Makoto snagged Rin's arm and exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, Master! What is your desire?"

Rin groaned and stopped struggling, resigned to his fate. "You both are _so_ weird."

Sousuke managed to encircle them all in his long arms. "And yet, this is what we all chose."

Makoto hummed in contentment. "That's right."

He couldn't be happier.

  
END.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this story, you might try these:  
> [Good Eating](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13191771) (Free!), by kuonji  
> [Soulmates](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16659547) (Free!), by kuonji  
> [Multiple Choice](https://archiveofourown.org/works/259876) (Wilby Wonderful), by kuonji  
> [Four](https://archiveofourown.org/series/366473) (Free! series), by Moomoogirl1  
> [You know I love you Right?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3965296) (Free!), by Loralyi  
> [Squash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17041820) (Free!), by AutisticWriter  
> [Eight Years Later](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9133993) (Free! comic), by mezzo_marinaio  
> [We Meet Where Nobody Knows](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4960642) (Free!), by themorninglark  
> [When I Get Braver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1354864) (Free!), by Hitsugi_Zirkus


End file.
